A man who died when a dinghy capsized near Dunedin on Tuesday was a keen fisherman who loved to spin a yarn.

Two Fulton Hogan workers had a lucky escape when their ute rolled into an oxidation pond.

A man received burns to his arm and leg when the lpg cylinder he was attending to caught fire at the Glendhu Bay Lakeside Holiday Park in central Otago late yesterday morning.

The risks of illegal drug use have been highlighted by a South Island coroner in his findings on the death of a 48-year-old man who had injected morphine.

The body of a person, believed to be missing Clutha teenager Blake Sinclair, has been found today.

Police have charged a Whangarei man after a high-powered green laser light was shone into the cockpit of the Northland rescue helicopter as the crew prepared to land.

An extensive search of the Clutha River has failed to locate a teenager who disappeared while kneeboarding yesterday afternoon.

One of the four men who were winched to safety off the coast of Dunedin today says it took only a minute for their boat to go down.

Two Dunedin students rescued from remote bush say the biggest lesson learned from their ordeal is to always carry a locator beacon in the backcountry.

Those responsible for shooting five domesticated goats, one of which took five days to die, are being warned by police.

A prominent English sculptor is creating a statue to honour pioneering plastic surgeon Sir Archibald McIndoe, who grew up in Dunedin.

A search and rescue helicopter looking for a missing tramper in Nelson has been targeted with a laser during a late night search of the area.

An Australian-owned, Auckland-based organisation has secured one of three contracts to provide home-based services for elderly people in the south of the South Island.

A Mosgiel man who fleeced long-time friends and members of his church of $300,000 has been sent to prison for three years and four months on fraud charges.

The victims of fraudster Brent Murray say they are happy to see some justice done, even though they believe they will never get their money back.

Justice officials have been accused of using concerns about building safety to downgrade regional court services in Otago.

Elena Berg seems to be the most brushed up on clothing etiquette when it comes to dressing for University of Otago graduations.

Catherine Smith falls for Oamaru's Victorian township and modern food.

New Zealand's "king" of legal cannabis faces trafficking charges in Australia after allegedly being found with a "commercial quantity" of drugs.